Pulsing Xenia died?!?

[Chameleon]

Hello yall,
About a week ago my wife called me while I was working and said the pulsing xenia was looking sad. Sure enough when I get home the feathery parts are missing and its a strange color. Over the course of the next week it got worse and worse and got smaller and started to necrotize(not sure if thats a word). Any ideas on what could have caused this. Everything else in the tank from acropora to leathers look more than healthy and water parameters are spot on...salinity is a little on the high side but still good. There was a smaller branch I fragged a while back on a small rock on the sandbed and it is doing fine, however its starting to show some of the same signs as the mother colony. Symptom include decrease pumping and withering new tentacles. Older tentacles seem less affected. ANy help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Cham

 

[thewackyreefer]

Is it possible your water is too clean? It's my understanding Xenia prefer "dirtier" water.

 

[Chameleon]

uh idk how do i measure that lol

 

[swannyson7]

Do you carbon dose or have an oversized skimmer? That would result in a ULNS that could lead to problems with xenia IME.

 

[Chameleon]

nope nothing like that i think the skimmer is rated for 75 and is on a 65 total system water and no carbon dosing. I dont think nutrients are too low... i have to use my mag float every 3 days or so

 

[pmgaudio]

Check your Nitrate levels. As I understand it they like a high nutrient system. I have the same issue. Lowered my nitrates to near Zero and my Xenia is all but gone now. But I got them back to about 15 and will NOT go any higher, cause I am trying to keep SPS alive, so I think if it dies all off it will not be going back in the tank

 

[fraghunter]

dead Xenia

It would be impossible to diagnose this problem. unless you test Amonia Nitrite Nitrate Alk Calcium and what fish are in the tank? do you run bio pellets gfo did you do a water change. etc.....

 

[emerald525]

I know people talk about parameters and need to know them as everything else is doing well and I have had xenia thrive in less than ideal parameters. Personally I have found them to be bullet proof except if the water temperature gets too cold and that's when I have had xenia look sad and wither away. How's the water temp?

 

[aslmx]

your water is clean. the only draw back to clean water is no xenia. I had the same problem, I got some giant aussie duncans an it made me feel alot better.

 

[Chameleon]

It would be impossible to diagnose this problem. unless you test Amonia Nitrite Nitrate Alk Calcium and what fish are in the tank? do you run bio pellets gfo did you do a water change. etc.....

As I said my water parameters are all in check... Ammonia is 0 of course, nitrite is 0, nitrate is 5 (sometimes is 0), Alk is 9, calcium stable 440, Temp is a solid 82 F. As far as fish yellow tang, clown(Osc.), diamond goby, blue flasher wrasse, mccosker wrasse. No gfo no pellets, not even a filter sock...pretty bare bones. I did take the filter sock out recently. Maybe it was keeping the nutrient levels slightly higher resulting in happy xenia.

 

[Chameleon]

your water is clean. the only draw back to clean water is no xenia. I had the same problem, I got some giant aussie duncans an it made me feel alot better.

I would replace them with some duncans but they were the wife's favorite. she likes to watch them pulse and sway in the breeze. I am more of a stick person myself, but I keep some zoas and softies for my wife's enjoyment. If she isn't happy then bye bye fish tank...lol. Anyone know of any non static coral that maybe would appreciate the low nutrients. Maybe I just need to add the filter back in and that might fix my problems.

 

[2bafish]

After upgrading my skimmer all my Xenia started dying. I love them too. I guess they need more nitrates in the water.

 

[Chameleon]

ive been doing google searches and one thing that keeps coming up is iodine levels. Anyone try dosing iodine in low nutrient tank to help with xenia??

 

[fraghunter]

I just started using idonie recently after not using it for year the key here is to get a good qualit 1% idonie solution and make sure not to overdose. My corals look good but not sure if its the Iodine or the pyto I started feeding.

 

[Zombie]

Do you have green chromis? I had them eat Xenia on more then one occasion.

 

[Steven R]

Check you salt they will melt if it drops below 1.026 they will melt faster the farther below that level is is and your iodine should be around 0.06 to satisfy them. and make sure you test iodine. before you add it to the system.

 

[Chameleon]

thanks i'll have to get a test kit...don't have that one yet
no chromis...

 

[cdness]

I had this issue as well. I had a nice, isolated colony of xenia in my 75. All of a sudden for no apparent reason it didn't open for the day. The next day it has basically dissolved to nothing. Then it was gone. I tried a few more frags and they didn't hold until recently when I got a frag from a different person. It is thriving now.

I think there are different strains of the stuff that like different parameters. If you were closer I'd give you some of mine, but AL is a little bit far to drive

 

[Chameleon]

That is interesting cdness. if i'm ever in ND I'm stopping by...lol. Like I said its the wife's favorite and when i discussed replacing it with duncans she wasn't thrilled. Maybe I'll run into someone here in AL that has some that likes clean water.

 

[cdness]

Hit me up in the spring when the weather is a bit more predictable here and I can look at shipping some to you.